Convective Heat Transfer of Spring Meltwater Accelerates Active Layer Phase Change in Tibet Permafrost Areas

The item provides the results of a control experiment about investigating the impacts of convective heat transfer (CHT) on permafrost active layer thermal regime. We applied the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model to investigate the impacts of CHT on active layer thermal dynamics on the TGL site, a typical permafrost site located at the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The control experiment includes three setups: (1) the original SHAW model with full consideration of CHT; (2) a modified SHAW model ignoring the CHT due to infiltration from the surface, and (3) a modified SHAW model ignoring complete CHT processes in the system. By comparing the differences between the simulated soil temperature and water content of the three setups, the impacts of CHT on active layer could be quantified.

To ensure that the experiment at TGL was not and exception, we performed a similar simulation at another permafrost site (coded QT08) on the QTP to verify results of CHT. The results of QT08 are also provided.

The source codes of Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) Model are available on the USDA Agricultural Research Service website (https://www.ars.usda.gov/pacific-west-area/boise-id/northwest-watershed-research-center/docs/shaw-model/, accessed November 29, 2021). The meteorological driving data and measured temperature and moisture data of the active layer at the Tanggula site under study can be downloaded from National Cryosphere Desert Data Center (https://www.ncdc.ac.cn/portal/, accessed November 29, 2021). The China Meteorological Forcing Dataset, which was used as the driving force in the QT08 simulation, can be obtained from National Tibetan Plateau Data Center (https://data.tpdc.ac.cn/, accessed January 24, 2022).

This dataset is linked to the article (https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-191) being considered for publication on The Cryosphere.